


Third time's the charm

by magicnkink



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Ravenclaw Reader, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sirius is smitten, reader is also an animagus, reader is amused, shy sirius, the rest of them are exasperated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28788318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicnkink/pseuds/magicnkink
Summary: Sirius Black has been smitten with you for as long as he knew. When he finally gathers the courage to confess, will everything go according to plan?
Relationships: Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Reader
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay first things first, I'm pretty sure you've seen this posted under anonymous author and that was me having trouble with my account kdjd I've finally sorted everything out and created a new account for hp fics so I promise I won't disappear on you again haha

"You're staring." James stated.

"Again." Remus turned the page of his current read, leaning back against the pillar, facing the vast grounds.

Sirius sighed and watched you talking with your friend. It was probably something you loved because you had a big smile on your face and your eyes were crinkled at the corners like they did whenever you were excited.

Your Ravenclaw robes swished around your feet as you walked quickly now, catching up with your friend who was groaning at your words. She gave you a look but you only laughed good naturedly, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

Sirius Black was smitten.

"That's really creepy, you know? Instead of staring at her, why don't you just go say hi and actually talk to her?" James asked, bemused, as Sirius scrunched his face.

"And make a fool of myself? No thanks. I'd rather die." 

Remus closed his book and leaned forward. The look on his face clearly meant he was annoyed and James was willing to bet that it was Sirius' stupidity.

"Just..." he pinched his nose in frustration.

"Try? Please? It's getting really old seeing you all lovestruck and mopey about it." 

"But I'll just fumble and she'll think I'm an idiot or something!" Sirius protested.

"Since when does Sirius Black fumble?" Peter asked in genuine surprise which made James and Remus crack up.

"Since the pretty Ravenclaw stole his heart," James said and Sirius pouted, looking away from them to catch a glimpse of you but unfortunately, you had already left.

* * *

You were still trying to ask for your friend's help, after walking around the grounds with Mia, your roommate, and trying to convince her to tutor you. DADA was a subject you always had difficulty with because it was more practical and you could never perform a spell perfectly.

As a Ravenclaw, you were naturally determined to be good at everything and this was no exception. But Mia didn't want to teach you because according to her, you were good enough and should focus on divination which you positively sucked in.

"Mia, come on! I'll even get you your favorite sweets from Honeydukes!" You whined.

She glanced at you for a moment before going back to combing her hair. Ignoring your huffs of frustration, she told you to ask someone else.

"Fine! I will then!" You stormed out from the room in a foul mood, wanting nothing more than to punch a tree. But luck seemed to be against you as you bumped into someone and lost your balance, falling on the floor.

"As if this was left…." You grumbled, ready to apologise to the person, coming face to face with Remus Lupin. He was a brilliant Griffindor, having a warm personality and you actually felt bad at bumping into him.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I guess this just isn't my day," you sighed and he chuckled, brushing off your apology and standing up, helping you as well.

Wait a second. Remus was amazing in DADA, as were most of the Marauders, so you could definitely risk a chance at asking him to help you. He's a fairly helpful guy so you hope he won't reject your plea. 

Your eyes flickered to three other boys that are always together with him and see them watching you with a hint of surprise on their faces. Giving them a smile and a curious look, you turned to Remus and turned on your puppy dog eyes.

"Remus, can I ask a favor from you? Please don't refuse before hearing me out!" 

He looked behind him awkwardly and you wondered why before he gestured for you to go on.

Smiling in relief, you told him about your difficulties in DADA and how Mia wasn't helping you and by now, you were pretty desperate for someone to help you because as someone who remained in the quiet most of the time, you were already out of your comfort zone, asking Remus.

"I would love to help you out but the thing is, my mom is sick and I was planning to go visit her this weekend…"

Your shoulders dropped and a concerned look covered your face.

"It's not serious, is it?" You realised a little too late and by then, the Marauders expect Sirius were laughing hard while he looked at them annoyed. You sent an apologetic look his way before turning to Remus once again.

"No, no, she's just down with a little cold and I wanted to make sure everything was okay." He smiled.

"Speaking of Sirius, I remember him saying that he had nothing to do on the weekends and well, he's also not bad at it so if you'd like, maybe he can teach you?" 

You blinked at Remus' sudden change in topic and thought about it. What Remus said was true so if he was up for it, you couldn't see why you should refuse.

"Well, if you don't mind it?" You asked Sirius and he quickly corrected you.

"No! No, uh I don't mind at all, really. I'm yours anytime you want, darling," he said and you saw Peter and James stifle their laughter.

You smiled in mirth, eyes twinkling with mischief and Sirius swore you knew exactly why they were making fun of him. But the next moment, you thanked him and said that you'll discuss the time and place later. 

And just like that, you were gone and Sirius felt as if his heart was going to come out of his chest, with how hard it was pounding. He only hoped that he wasn't blushing like a fool too.

* * *

"Remus, what the hell?" Sirius paced around in their room, grumbling about how he didn't even get a heads up. 

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on. I did you a favour. You should be thanking me. I don't really like the tone if this is you doing that," he jokes and Sirius sighed for the upteenth time that day.

"You'll be fine, Padfoot. It's not like you're bad at DADA and this could actually make her see you as a friend," James said.

"Friend?" Sirius frowned.

"Or something more," Peter quickly added, not wanting to hear him rant about you anymore.

"Yeah! So cheer up and prepare for your date."

"It's not a date, Prongs. Though, I'll ask her if she wants to go to Hogsmeade with me sometime soon."

"Not a date? You two will be alone, all by yourselves, with no one to interrupt–"

"Oh my God, it's a date." Sirius panicked and Remus threw a dark look at James for making him start once again.

* * *

"Thank you for agreeing to this once again, Sirius," You said, as soon as you walked into the Room of Requirements. Sirius had been surprised when you suggested that and you jokingly said that even a Ravenclaw like you had a few tricks up your sleeve.

"It's okay. I really did have nothing to do today. I'd much rather spend my time with a pretty girl," he winked and you feel your cheeks flush.

"Well, aren't you charming?" 

"Only for you, darling."

You laughed and he smiled at the sight.

"Okay, okay let's start," you said.

You told him about how your spells never hit perfectly and how you still can't produce a patronus for more than a few seconds. He seemed to catch up on your insecurities because he assured you that it just takes a little practice and you'd definitely see the difference.

The room had already created an empty space for you to practice, with a few stray boxes lying around. You turned to Sirius with a determined look and he immediately understood. You were in class.

"Alright, blast this box for me, darling." 

He put an empty box, at the far side of the room in front of you and walked to where you were standing, studying your posture.

"Confringo!"

The spell landed a little to the left and missed the box, causing you to frown. 

"See? This is what I'm talking about. I can perform the spell but it doesn't always find its target," you said and Sirius cocked his head to the side, _like a puppy_ , you noticed. 

"Well, I think you need to loosen up a little."

You raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" 

"I didn't mean in a bad way! I just meant your body is too stiff. I think you're trying to concentrate too much into making the spell right that it's causing you to tense up when you cast it." He quickly remedied.

"Here I'll show you. Position yourself as if you were going to cast the spell but don't say the incantation."

You did as he asked and pointed your wand towards the same box. You heard him moving around before his hands settled on your shoulders.

"See? The muscles here are tense. Relax."

His voice was so close, his body too close that you couldn't possibly relax even if he asked you too. A quick whiff told you that you liked his cologne, _very much_. Before you could say anything, he moved in front of you and put his hand on yours in which you held the want, shaking his head.

"Too tight. Loosen your hold a little so that it feels natural to hold your wand," he said, fingers moving to ease yours. 

After he was satisfied with your posture, he looked at you with a smile, causing you to crack one of your own. You were pretty sure your cheeks were on fire with his close proximity and he could probably notice that.

"Okay, let's try this again."

You took a deep breath and spoke the incantation. This time it landed squarely on the box, engulfing it in an explosion.

You turned to Sirius with a grin and the one he gave back almost made your heart stop.

You practiced your spells for another two hours and now you could proudly say that you did much better than before. Even your patronus was able to have a solid for more than fifteen minutes and you couldn't be happier.

Sirius was elated to see you improving and enjoying your lessons. He goofed around, making you laugh and to his pleasant surprise, you also replied cheekily, making him laugh all the more. He could easily say that the time spent with you was the best he had in a long time and he genuinely had fun with you.

"Thank you so much, Sirius!" You gushed and he couldn't keep the damn blush away.

"You've already said that eight times now, darling," he said but you shrugged dismissively.

"Well, I am thankful so I'll say it however much I want." 

He really tried to keep the smile off his face but it seemed that with you, he forgot how to do that. 

"Anytime you need help with any subject, you can ask me. I'd be happy to give you a hand," you smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He winked.

* * *

"Sooo, how did it go?" James asked.

Sirius was back in his room, after dropping you off at the Ravenclaw common room entrance and ever since then, it seemed as if there was a happy cloud around him.

"Perfect." He sighed dreamily.

"Thank Merlin you actually talked to her because if I had to hear one more time about how perfect her eyes were, I would have barfed," Remus said.

"Well, I have you to thank for that. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, I might still be a lovesick bachelor like James here."

"Hey!"

"So, we take it that she said yes?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Yes for what?" Sirius frowned.

The rest of the Marauders exchanged exasperated glances before Remus spoke up.

"For Hogsmeade? You know the one thing that you actually wanted to ask her?" 

Sirius paled and everyone else started laughing.

"Good luck finding another opportunity." James cackled.

"Moony!" Sirius turned to Remus but he was already shaking his head. 

"Don't look at me. I did my part already."

It was the next day the Marauders came to know that Sirius' scream of frustration could be heard all the way across the Ravenclaw dorms.


	2. Chapter 2

The past few weeks had been absolutely amazing for Sirius. 

Ever since he helped you with the defense spells, you'd warmed up to him considerably and he could go as far as to say that you were friends. You smiled at his group whenever you passed each other in the hallways and if he ever came to you when you weren't busy, you'd happily chat with him and ask him about his day. 

The rest of the Marauders had noticed his happier disposition lately and didn't fail to tease him about it.

"So Padfoot, any progress with the Ravenclaw?" James asked, sprawled on his bed with a chocolate frog in hand. 

"She has a name, you know. And yes, she's just so amazing and we've been getting along so well," Sirius sighed and thought about giving you the sugar quills he bought from their trip to Honeydukes.

"You know he's not asking about that. Everyone knows you're friends, what he's asking is if there's something more," Remus said.

His bed probably had the most chocolates out of all of them but he wasn't like Peter, who'd already eaten half of his stash. He liked to eat them slowly, so they could last until their next trip to Hogsmeade.

"Yeah Sirius! You didn't ask her to go with you this week again," Peter chimed in.

Sirius sputtered as if he hadn't been expecting them to say it and the reddening of his cheeks doesn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Marauders. If anything, they seem more amused to have caught him off guard.

"T-that's because I want to be her friend first! You know, so she gets used to me and doesn't decline when I finally ask her out." What he started as an unsure sentence, takes a haughty note at the end, as if that had been his plan all along.

James hummed.

"Are you sure it isn't just because you chicken out every time?" 

Everyone except Sirius bursted into laughter at that, who looked like he wanted to cast a silencing charm on them but then smirked, when something else came to his mind.

"Well, unlike you Prongs, I can actually converse with her without her spewing curses at me, so who's the real winner here?" He stated smugly.

"Hey! That's not—"

"That's exactly what happens, Potter." Remus mocked and the room once again, dissolved into laughter, with Sirius and James' positions reversed.

* * *

The past few weeks had been...odd for you, for a lack of better word.

After how much help Sirius Black had been, you'd made sure to let him know your appreciation by smiling at him in the hallways and talking to him whenever he wasn't with any of his friends. He had been an absolute gentleman and you looked forward to spend time with him. He had actually asked for your help with potions and even though James was quite good in the said subject, it made you feel giddy that he had asked you instead.

Another thing that has been taking up your mind is your friendship with Mia. You both had always been best friends, always staying together and helping each other but you'd noticed a change in her that had only increased as the time went on. She was smiling at you less, returned to the dormitory only when she had to sleep or get something and avoided spending time with you in general. It hurted when she brushed off your attempts to hang out and instead spend her time with other people, as if she didn't want to stay with you.

And of course, people noticed that. The Marauders being the first one to realise that you were often alone now, instead of the friend you were always seen with. Remus thought that you had a fight and were giving each other space but when he asked about it the other day, during the time he was in the library working on his transfiguration assignment with you, you had denied his suspicion with a frown on your face and confusion swimming in your eyes. It was as if you yourself didn't know the reason for your sudden distance.

A few days later, you had transfiguration with Hufflepuff and were surprisingly, sitting next to Mia. Professor McGonagall introduced animagus and to say everyone was excited was an understatement. Everyone loved the idea to be able to turn into an animal on will and you could see Mia giving you small glances throughout the lecture.

"All right, students. That's all for today but for the next class, I'll quiz you on their characteristics, so you should come prepared." 

With that, she dismissed the class and you stuffed back the spare parchment in your bag, along with your quills. Mia had already left but not before giving you a long look which you had no idea how to comprehend. You just hoped that she wouldn't say anything about your abilities, related to today's class.

* * *

"Professor, is it true that one of the Ravenclaw students is an animagus?" 

A curious Griffindor raised his hand and asked, which only made Professor McGonagall sigh. 

"Yes, Mr Clark, but I implore you to not ask me about this any further. All of you." 

She sent the whole room a glare which intimidated the Griffindors but did not manage to subdue Slytherin. The whole lecture was filled with gossiping students which annoyed McGonagall to no end. She ended the class, impatiently asking the students to complete their homework on time and gave an extra two feet of parchment as a punishment.

The Marauders had been especially smug after realising that they would be learning about animagus' and James and Sirius in particular, could not wait to crack suggestive jokes but all their plans had been destroyed with this new revelation. Someone from Ravenclaw was an animagus and after hearing all the rumours, they were shocked to find out that it was Sirius' lady love, of all people, that was at the centre.

Speaking of Sirius, he had been trying all day to catch you, for the past three days actually, but you didn't come to breakfast and he never saw you in the corridors after a class ended. He was worried about all the talking and gossiping getting to you but he had no idea how to reach you. 

He asked Remus to keep an eye out for you in the library, since that was one of the places you spent most of your time in, but he had only shook his head in disappointment when asked about you. He even went as far as asking your fellow Ravenclaws for any information but they were surprisingly tight lipped about the whole affair and only told him not to stick his nose where it didn't belong. 

Completely running out of options, he made his way to the room of requirements, hoping to catch a break and maybe find you there, if he was lucky. But fate wasn't absolutely cruel to him because when he entered, the first thing he saw was someone sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. Tentatively, he called out your name, afraid that you would shut him out if he startled you. 

You jolted in shock, turning quickly to see Sirius Black standing near the door. 

"....hey, Sirius," you spoke cautiously, as if waiting for him to ask a dozen questions like everyone else had been doing lately. 

He walked quietly towards the couch, which was so unlike him that you forgot about your current predicament and raised an eyebrow at his unusual silence. He took a seat beside you on the couch and you took the chance to inquire about it.

"You okay?" You asked and Sirius turned to you with surprised laughter bubbling past his lips and the sight of it made you smile.

"I should be the one asking you that! Where have you been all this time?" He asked, removing his boots and crossing his legs to sit comfortably. 

"Uh well, you probably heard about—"

"You being an animagus? Yeah, I did." He completed for you and you looked at his face but saw none of the awe and reverence that had made you so uncomfortable, being subjected by other people.

"And you aren't a least bit curious about how I became one?" 

He raised an amused eyebrow at this, eyes sparkling with secrets and mischief and you felt yourself relax a little.

"The only thing I am curious about is what is your animal. Other than that? Nope!" His cheerful response took you completely off guard and you smiled for the first time in many days. 

"You're one of a kind, Sirius." You shook your head fondly, which only served to widen his smile.

"Come on, as your best friend, I think I'm privy to this sort of important information." 

The mention of 'best friend' had you frowning and Sirius seemed to catch up on it as he looked at you. 

"It was her, wasn't it?" He asked quietly and you nodded your head in confirmation.

"She was the only one I ever told about it. I guess I made the wrong choice."

Sirius saw that your mood wasn't that great after talking about your ex-best friend so he quickly changed the topic, hoping you'd smile some more.

"Well, your housemates surely get all defensive about it, when I asked. I hope they don't bother you for it."

To his surprise, you laughed gently and shook your head.

"No, no, that's not it at all! They're actually really protective and have been so supportive these past few days, scaring away anyone who tries to talk to me during classes," you said.

"So you have been going to classes? I haven't seen you around much."

At this, your cheeks reddened and Sirius wondered what it was about.

"Umm... don't get angry but actually I've been avoiding you," you admitted and Sirius parted his mouth in surprise.

"Wha—why?" He asked, hurt trickling in his expression.

"I've had so much fun with you and considered you a good friend," Sirius smiled at that, "so I thought that you'd be angry or disappointed that I didn't tell you," you finished and Sirius chuckled, taking one of your hands in his.

Your heart thumped at the sudden action and you could see Sirius cheeks flushing with red as well. 

"We all have secrets, love. I'd never be angry at you for keeping one of yours," he said, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb.

"Thank you," you whispered, overwhelmed by his kindness and not knowing what to say. 

"Although, if I had known earlier that the Ravenclaws were so protective, I would have asked the sorting hat to put me there," he said, giving you a smirk and you scoffed, smiling at his words.

"Please, you don't have the brains to be in my house," you replied and he gasped in mock offense.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

* * *

Talks of your ability hadn't yet diminished but you still started going out more. Talking with Sirius in the Room of Requirements had helped a lot and now, you weren't afraid of people confronting you about it.

In fact, it was easier than you thought, with the whole of Ravenclaw (excluding Mia, of course) sending dirty looks to anyone who looked like they were bothering you and the Marauders taking to pranking anyone who made you uncomfortable. 

You stopped talking to Mia after that and began to hang out with the other students in your class as well as the Marauders. They made you laugh, everytime you were with them and you were so grateful that they hadn't looked at you differently ever since learning of you being an animagus.

"So you're saying that you're a born animagus?" James asked and for the first time, looking impressed. 

You were sitting near the Black lake with them and you had finally divulged about how you came to be one.

"Yes. My dad's side of the family has this...ability? My dad is one and so is my grandpa," you said proudly. You were always proud of being in a family strong enough to be born animagus' and it showed in how you spoke about it. 

"What's your animagus then?" Sirius asked and then hesitated, "Only if you want to tell us."

You looked around you and only saw four curious faces, filled with understanding and a little excitement. Although you knew you made a mistake telling Mia, you were at least thankful that you didn't transform in front of her. But looking at these boys now, who had supported you in your time of need, you felt as if it would be okay. 

You stood up from where you were sitting beside Sirius and he looked to the others with panicked eyes. 

"Wait! We're sorry if—"

Your laughter cut off his sentence and they all heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that they hadn't offended you.

"I'll show you." Saying that, you disappeared behind the trees at the edge of the forbidden forest to make sure no one saw you transforming. 

Meanwhile James was patting Sirius' back.

"I approve, Padfoot. She's really nice _and_ perfect for you." 

Peter nodded in agreement.

"Plus, she's an animagus too so that's a bonus," Remus supplied and Sirius scoffed at them.

"Didn't know I asked for your opinion but thanks," he said mockingly but inside his head, he was pleased to know that his best friends approved of you. Not that it mattered to him, of course.

"So when are you going to ask her out?" Peter asked, curiously and Sirius grinned.

"When she comes back, actually, so that she can't reject me," he said smugly as Remus rolled his eyes.

"She could transform back and then reject you."

Before it could turn out into a full blown argument, a tuft of orange fur collided with Sirius' stomach and he looked down in surprise to see a fox looking up at him with big eyes and chirping pleasantly.

James' surprised laughter caught everyone's attention but he was looking down at the fox.

"Oh my god, it you, isn't it?" He said and realisation dawned on everyone's faces. They watched as you made your way to the centre of the group and chirped once again. 

Remus and Peter stroked their fingers through your fur, amazed at how nice it felt and you preened at the attention. James and Sirius on the other hand, were a little more ambitious. Sirius grabbed you and set you on his lap, playing with your fluffy tail. It didn't last for long as James snatched you from him.

"Hey! Prongs, you git!"

"What? It's my turn now. You already touched her," he replied indignantly.

"No! I haven't had the chance to properly see. Give her back!" Sirius reached for you once again but James held you away from him.

Peter and Remus looked on, exasperated by their friend's unruliness while they bickered about who got to play with you first. You looked as annoyed as you could, in this form.

"Didn't you want to ask her something? I'll ask her if you won't," James said, smug when Sirius sputtered about how unfair that was and you looked at him questioningly. 

Sirius cleared his throat and began.

"My dear, lovely, Ravenc—"

A hand snatched you away from James Potter's hold and you squeaked in surprise, only to come in contact with Lily Evan's green eyes. Apparently, her appearance had been a shock for everyone as they quickly got up from their relaxed positions.

"Ah, Lilyflow—" 

James was cut off by a raging Lily.

"What in Merlin's name were you doing to this poor thing! I knew you were an insufferable git but I didn't know you had it in you to torture animals too!" 

"But—" 

"And you!" She turned to a surprised Remus.

"I expected better from you, Lupin. How could you let them do that?" She seethed.

"Lily, this isn't what it looked like—" Sirius began only to be cut off once again by the red haired girl.

"Twenty points from Griffindor!" She gritted and turned away from the stunned group.

The whole time, you were comfortably nestled in Lily's arms and looked on at the drama. Serves them right after tossing you around like a ragdoll. 

"It's okay, little fox. I've got you now," Lily murmured soothingly and ran her hand through your fur softly. 

And just because you were a petty person, you scrambled from her arms towards her shoulders and draped yourself around her neck, with your head towards the still frozen group of boys. You stuck out your tongue at them and that seemed to jolt them back into action.

"No wait! Lily, you can't do this! Lily!" 

Remus only shook his head and comforted a pouting Sirius who had once again lost his chance to ask you. But he wasn't one to give up. He was Sirius Black and he'd be damned if he didn't ask you out the next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd appreciate it very much if you could fill out [ this](https://forms.gle/UK5817bDuGrtJ6pB9) poll, about my next fic! Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a Tumblr [@magicnkink ](http://magicnkink.tumblr.com)that is completely sfw despite the name haha. Come chat with me!


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